A Changed Life
by Freedom Tide
Summary: After Christine leaves the Phantom he is transported to the 21st centur & must learn to befriend two girls in order to survive. Will he get home? Will he be stuck in the 21st centur? Will a romance develope?
1. Chapter 1

AN: I am attempting to rewrite a previous Phantom phic which I hope turns out better than my last attempt. Reviews would be nice, please no flames. I welcome constructive criticism which I can use to be a better writer. I may be slow because I write as ideas come to me. _Christine singing_, **The Phantom singing**.

**A Changed Life**

**Discovery**

After Erik had dragged Christine down to his home and tried to force her to stay with him, the entrance of her lover threw him into an insane rage and he quickly lost his patience with Christine.

_Angel of Music ...  
_**You've passed the point of no return ...  
**_... you deceived me.  
I gave my mind blindly._

He could hear the angry mob getting closer.

**You try my patience - make your choice! **_  
Pitiful creature of darkness ...  
What kind of life have you known ...?  
God give me courage to show you you are not alone ..._

After Christine gave him the sweetest kiss full of longing, regret, and passion Erik knew he couldn't delay any longer. Suddenly, he knew that he couldn't keep Christine against her will, and the only way to ensure her safety was to release her and that insufferable fop of a boy. As he released the fop he was pouring out all of his feelings to Christine in a burst of passionate song.

**Take her - forget me - forget all of this ...  
Leave me alone - forget all you've seen ...  
Go now - don't let them find you!  
Take the boat - swear to me never to tell  
The secrets you know of the angel in hell  
Go now! Go now, and leave me!**

After telling Raoul and Christine to forget about him he went dejectedly up the stairs to his bedroom. He was sitting in his room with the music box playing in the background when Christine walked up to him with her eyes cast down. Looking at her Erik's expression was full of longing and loneliness but all she did was return the ring and leave without saying a word. Standing up Erik looked after her and sang softly.

**Christine, I love you ...**

As Erik stood, watching the boat disappear across the lake, Christine's voice came floating to him from where she was clinging to Raoul.

_Say you'll share with me, one love, one lifetime ...  
say the word and I will follow you ...  
Share each day with me ...  
... each night ...  
... each morning ...  
_**You alone can make my song take flight -  
it's over now, the music of the night ...**

After Christine was gone Erik released his deep emotions and all of his grief over losing his true love poured out in his voice as he broke every mirror in his home. Then he disappeared through the tunnel just as the mob appeared. As he walked along his thoughts were so focused on his beloved and the memories that came pouring out he failed to notice a chunk of the ceiling as it broke off and hit him in the head. Suddenly the world went black.

* * *

Naomi was just finishing up her workday when her boss came up to her.

"Naomi, the board is still debating the proposed funding for the museum; do you have that report and the briefing that you gave at the staff meeting a week ago?" Leslie inquired.

"Yeah, I've got both documents right here." Naomi replied as she removed two folders from her file cabinet. "Are you sending a representative to speak to the board?"

"I am sending you. Are you prepared to make the presentation on Monday to the entire board?" Leslie asked.

"Yes, everything is in order and I can do the presentation. What time does the board meet?" Naomi asked, putting the files away.

"The meeting starts at four in the afternoon but there are some other things on the agenda besides the funding proposal," said Leslie.

"Leslie, what else are we doing to rally support, and do we have a plan if this doesn't work?"

"Our volunteers have been calling people and the paper has run some articles. We've been in contact with board members and urged them to support this propasl and meet with us to discuss it further. If we don't have any success with the board, we'll explore other options when that time comes,"Leslie responded.

"Do we have any supporters on the board? And what about grassroots public support?" Naomi asked.

"We have the support of Rick Ferguson, Stan Hoffman, Brenda Pinkerton, and Chad Weston. On our Facebook page, I posted a story and that went out to anyone who is subscribed to the page."

"OK, sounds good. See you on Monday, Leslie."

"Have a good weekend, Naomi and thank you," she says as she walks off.

As the conversation winds down, Naomi's cell phone rings; when she answers it she heard the voice of her friend and roommate, Amy

"Are you ready to call it a day and go out for a while?' asked Amy.

"Yeah, I'll meet you at the mall shortly and we can grab a bite to eat and do some shopping, but I've got extra work to do at home. I have to give a report to the board on Monday," replied Naomi as she gathered her belongings and walked out of the office to catch the bus to the mall. On the way out of the office she continued to talk on the phone.

"What kind of report do you have to give to the board? Is that what your boss was talking to you about when I called?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, the board is still debating the proposal for increasing the funding for the museum and I have a report on how that will be a positive impact for the community. Are there any discussions in the city government and which direction are they going?" Naomi inquires.

"It's not a top priority but some discussions are happenings," Amy pointed out. "But there may be some developments out of the city soon. Officially, the word is still that it is up to the board to make financial decisions about the museum?"

"Yeah, the reasoning is that it's set policy laid out in the which is not true. No policy was ever put into law by the federal government," Naomi responded.

"There's talk in the mayor's office about the city providing some funding out of the surplus that is available, now it's still just talk, but there are four council members are on board along with Sheila Bryer-Carter." Amy stated.

"Well, if Sheila is in on the talks and she's supporting the idea which would benefit the residents of the the tourism business. It's not all we asked for but it's something," Naomi noted. "When will a final decision be made and announced? Don't the changes go into effect in August?"

"I'm not sure when or if this is a done deal, like I said they're just talking about it and it might not, happen but I'll keep you posted," Amy responded.

"So the only thing standing in the way of actually increasing museum funding is the will to pass it and allocate the required funds. The public is solidly behind us on this initiative," Naomi said with determination. The conversation continued and moved on to other topics until Naomi arrived at the mall.

When the two friends met up, their first stop was the pretzel stand for a snack. Both women got their favorite snack pretzel. As they were sitting there, they continued to chat about various things in life from work to boys to history and politics and current events.

"Hey, let's see what movies are playing! I wanna see _The Campaign_, which looks really good," announced Naomi suddenly.

"By the time we get out it'll be late and don't you have work to do? I've also got a date with Doug tomorrow," Amy said.

"OK, but let's go by the bookstore; the new Dan Brown book is supposed to be out now. I want to see what else is out that I can add to my wish list and maybe look for books about World War 2.", replied Naomi.

"OK, but maybe you need to pull your head out of the books and look around at all of the cute guys. That's how Doug and I met," Amy noted.

"Well, I'm not interested in having a boyfriend yet, I'm happy being single." Naomi snapped irritably.

"But, don't you ever dream of finding the perfect guy, Naomi?"  
"Sometimes, but right now I've got other things on my mind like my career and my research projects. When I fall in love I'll know it, I won't force it or fake it. Right now I'm too involved in research, but love will happen in its own time. What about you and Doug? Are you in love with him? How serious are you?"

"We've already started talking about getting married, nothing is final. We're just talking about the future but it seems to be accepted by both of our families." Amy replied happily. "What are you looking for in your ideal guy?"

"I don't know. Right now I'm too occupied with other priorities and I don't really give romance much thought." Naomi replied with a frown.

The two girls walked around the mall for a while longer before deciding to head home and relax with pizza and a movie. When Amy and Naomi enter the apartment they were debating what movie to watch that evening: _Phantom of the Opera_ or _Mamma Mia_. As the two walked into the living room the conversation came to a stop and both women just stared at a spot on the floor.

"Is this for real? What's going on? How did he get here and who is he?" asked Amy quietly as she stepped back.

"What have your friends at work been drinking lately? Is this some kind of bad reality TV show we aren't aware of?", Naomi inquired.

"Not that I'm aware of and I don't think it's anyone from the office.", Amy replied.

"I didn't know about this but so far he hasn't noticed us. Keep quiet, put your cell phone on silent and grab that umbrella. Follow me, I'm checking him out, he looks kinda familiar," Naomi muttered quietly as Amy did as suggested and followed her friend over to the stranger lying on the floor. Kneeling down next to him, Naomi looked closer at him and noticed that he seemed to be unconscious and had a head injury. Half of his face was badly scarred but what caught her eye was the fact that he had thick, full lips and a full head of black hair, 'I wonder who he is, he's cute.'

"He's got a head injury that needs to be treated, come on let's get the stuff. Do you have any idea who he is?" asked Amy as the two headed for the bathroom to get the first aid kit. As they were cleaning and bandaging the injury the stranger moaned and his eyes fluttered slightly. Naomi glanced over at Amy and their eyes met in a silent message. 'Meet in the kitchen.' Once in the kitchen both girls started whispering excitedly.

"I know who-, "Amy started.

"He's so cu-, "interjected Naomi

"The Phantom of the Opera is in our apartment!" they whispered simultaneously. Suddenly, they grinned with excitement at the prospect of having the sexy Phantom in their apartment.


	2. Explanations & Midnight Talks

**Explanations & Midnight Talks**

"Uh, now what do we do?" Naomi asked just as there is another moan from the living room. "It sounds like we need to meet our guest." Just as the two roommates entered the living room, the Phantom reached up to cover his exposed face. Squeezing his eyes closed he grimaced in pain; seeing this, Naomi grabbed the Tylenol.

As soon as the Phantom opened his eyes, he took in his surroundings and spotted the girls immediately. "Who are you?" he growled glaring at the women with anger.

Amy looked at Naomi, silently pleading with her to take the lead and deal with an unpredictable Phantom. "My name is Naomi and this is my friend and roommate Amy. We came in from work and found you lying on the floor with a head injury, so we cleaned it up and bandaged it. As to where you are that will take some explaining. How do you feel? Are you in any pain?"

"No, but I have many questions that I would like answered," came the curt reply.

"OK, we'll be more than happy to answer any questions that you have for us, but first we need to get introductions out of the way. As I said, I'm Naomi and this is my friend and roommate Amy. We'll tell you more about ourselves later," Naomi said.

"My name is not important. Where am I?" he growled at the two girls. Finally the tension is slightly eased when Erik made the first move and sat up but was swaying rather noticeably; Naomi reached out a hand to steady him but he violently shoved her away getting to his feet on his own.

"Look pal, I don't appreciate being shoved around. Just because I reached out toward you doesn't mean I was gonna hurt you; did it ever occur to you that I might actually offer help?"

Erik stood to his full height and walked around to the couch where he sat down opposite Amy and Naomi, keeping the scarred side of his face turned from the girls so they couldn't see it.

"Where am I? This city doesn't look like Paris. What happened to my mask? How did I get into your home?" Erik asked several questions before either girl could answer even one question.

"One question at a time, this explanation will take a while," Naomi replied as calmly as possible when faced with an impatient Phantom. "First, as I said a few minutes ago, you are in our apartment; Amy and I rent this apartment together. You mentioned Paris; are you talking about Paris, Tennessee?" she asked hopefully.

"No, why would I want to know about a country torn apart by war?" Erik inquired with contempt.

"Maybe, because you ain't wherever you think you are anymore. You're in Washington D. C., in the United States," responded Naomi sarcastically, "and there is no war going on in this country although our military is deployed elsewhere in the world.".

His eyes widened. Amy griped her friend's hand as she prepared to drop the other shoe. "Uhh...there's more, we think. This is the year 2012." Suddenly all the color drained from Erik's face.

Naomi looked over at Amy worriedly, and Amy took over the explanation. "We don't have answers to your other questions. We came in from work to find you already here, so the only thing Naomi or I can figure is that something happened back in your own time that caused you to end up here, but that is just a theory. And your mask was nowhere in sight. Where are you originally from?" asked Amy.

"1871, Paris, France-," Erik was interrupted by the phone, which rings, and Naomi jumped up to grab it in the other room, leaving Erik and Amy to try to talk.

In the kitchen, Naomi glanced at the caller ID to see who was calling; seeing her grandmother's name, she picked up the phone and walked into her room.

"Hi, what's up? How did your doctor's appointment go?" As Naomi listened to what her grandmother told her, she let out the breath that she had been holding.

"So everything is OK now? She asked hopefully. After the conversation ended Naomi sat on the bed deep in thought, and her thoughts turned to Erik and how he reacted when he found out where he is. Thinking back on her actions, she is flooded with guilt over how uncaring and demeaning she probably sounded. 'Why did I have to be such a jerk today? The least I coulda done was be cordial, even if I did have a stressful day and next week is gonna be even worse,' Naomi silently berated herself.

Just then, Amy came into the room and sat on the bed beside her. "Is everything OK? What are you thinking about now?"

"Well, Erik will always be Erik, and I suppose I overreacted a bit when we first met and got a bit too sarcastic. I mean, it's just not in him to accept a helping hand and he's always going to assume the worst about people 'cause of his own experiences," Naomi said with regret.

"It'll take time to gain his trust, but I do think that you need to apologize. I know that you had a rough day, but that's still no excuse for being an asshole," Amy noted.

The two girls walked back out to the living room, where Erik is still seated on the couch; Naomi and Amy took the chairs next to the couch. Looking at Erik, Naomi noticed that he is kind of folded into himself as if he is trying to hide from the world. Taking a deep breath, Naomi looked into Erik's eyes as she spoke.

"I just want to apologize for my behavior earlier. I realize that you are in an unfamiliar situation and I apologize for my overreaction. We're just going to have to work together to figure out what is going on, I guess," Naomi stated looking down.

"You said that you are from 1871 France. What's the last thing you remember before waking up in our living room?" Amy asked.

"I was leaving my old life behind to start over where I was not known," Erik replied curtly but with a touch of sadness in his voice. Naomi was sure she saw the hint of tears and there seemed to be more to Erik's past then he was letting on. Naomi resolved to get to the bottom of the story even if it took time.

Amy and Naomi traded glances before Amy spoke up. " You are welcome to stay here with us and we will help you in any way possible. If you just need someone to talk to or need help with anything else, Naomi and I will be here for you."

"You have suffered so much in your life," Naomi murmured quietly. Looking into his eyes she continued, "you deserve to live a normal life. Not knowing how or why you are here, it's impossible to know if you'll be going back to your own time, but we have an extra room that you are welcome to use."

After hearing this Erik had a stunned look on his face and his eyes were shining with unshed tears. "Thank you for your hospitality, Naomi and Amy."

"It's the least that we can do" Amy said. "We'll show you around the place and let you get settled in. This has been a long day for everyone."

Everyone got up from where they were seated, and Erik followed the two roommates down the short hall that leads off of the living room. After showing Erik the bathroom and linen closet, he is led to the door on the left side of the hall leading into a spare bedroom. The room is simple with a bed, nightstand, and dresser; the window overlooks a grassy park behind the apartment complex. Naomi's room is the next room over with Amy across the hall. Erik retreated into his room while Amy and Nicole returned to the living room to make plans for the next few days.

"We're going to have to take Erik to the store to buy some clothes that won't stand out so much, " Amy said excitedly sitting down across from Naomi.

"What kind of clothes should we get for Erik? What styles do you think he'll like? Personally I like him in the open white shirts and tight black pants and his hair slicked back like it is now. He might look good in tight jeans and t-shirts," Naomi says.

"How do you think Erik ended up here? And why?" Amy asks.

"I don't know but it seems like we should be asking ourselves if he'll be disappearing back to his own time or if he's stuck in our time?" replied Naomi.

"If Erik is here for good, then we're the only people who know about it right now and he'll be dependent on us for a while to settle in. Also there's the question of how he'll be received by society in general." Amy pointed out. Shortly after that conversation Naomi and Amy went to their rooms.

Several hours later Naomi woke up from an uneasy sleep. Deciding that she wouldn't be able to get any more sleep that night she went to get some work done. As she approached the kitchen she stopped when she heard what sounded like a low sob coming from that direction. Standing just out of sight of the living room Naomi saw Erik hunched over on the couch sobbing into a pillow. She just stood there watching as Erik suddenly spoke in a voice choked with tears, "Christine, I love you."

That one heartfelt declaration from Erik immediately brought Naomi to the edge of tears and she had to fight to keep her composure. Figuring that the best thing would be to return to her room and work she was about to leave the room.

Just then Erik saw her and started to stand up, Naomi noticed for the first time how sculpted his upper body was. As Erik was about to leave the room Naomi spoke up, "You don't have to go, I was just getting something to drink."

Erik turned around to face her, keeping the right side of his face in the darkness. "No, I'm fine. I am retiring for the night, thank you."

"You don't have to leave just because I'm here." Naomi said gently. As soon as Naomi said that a surge of emotions flitted across Erik's face ranging from disbelief to shock to something else…the beginnings of acceptance? "Do you want to join me here at the breakfast area while I do some work?"

Naomi carried her stuff over to the counter and set the pile down on the left side and Erik sat down to her right. After she grabbed a glass of juice she got to work doing research relating to the speech she will give on Monday. Erik was watching her with interest and as she put down her pen he asked a question. "Where do you work and what do you do?"

"I work at the Smithsonian Museum in the Historic Restoration Department and I do research. Right nor my main research project is the Stauffenberg Bomb Plot of 1944 and Rommel's possible involvement currently the museum is in the middle of a debate over whether to increase funding or not. Most of the community supports the measure, especially the tourism and hospitality businesses who this will really help; the board is against it mostly, but it ultimately comes down to the money."

"What is your speech about?" asked Erik. As the conversation progressed Naomi noticed Erik became more comfortable though he was still tense.

"I'll be addressing the benefits of increasing funding and citing how it will benefit not only residents but also the city. I'll talk about the concerns that the loss of funding could mean for the museum with compelling testimony from people who visit the museum and how restricted access and lower quality exhibits would impact the experience and the whole national image." Naomi responded with a grin as she finished making some notes.

"Does your cause have any allies on the board? What other actions are you planning on taking?" inquired Erik with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, there are four board members that support us and there's always the option of fundraising if we can't get things done through the board or grassroots action." The discussion continues for some time until Naomi decides to finish her work the next evening.

"OK, I'm beat. What time is it?" she mutters looking at the clock. "I'm going to my room. See you in the morning" Naomi says getting up and leaving the room.


End file.
